Soap dispenser



July 21, 1964 J. D. QUINN 3,141,578

SOAP DISPENSER Filed Dec. 21, 1962 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.

James 0. Quinn INVENTOR.

Mafia. BY M Mm,

July 21, 1964 QUINN 3,141,578

SOAP DISPENSER Filed Dec. 21, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 5

James '0. Quinn INVENTOR.

Mm BY ym, FMW

United States Patent 3,141,578 SUAP DISPENSER James D. Quinn, 223 N. 7th St., St. Joseph, Mo. Filed Dec. 21, 1962, Ser. No. 246,611 6 Claims. (Cl. 222-175) This invention relates generally to devices for dispensing surgical soaps or any other thick liquid.

In brief, the invention comprises a sliding plastic bar with a hole in it running through a screw-type plastic socket element. A plastic dispenser for surgical soaps or any other thick liquid is screwed into the socket. When the bar is moved from one side or the other so that the hole therein will line up with a hole formed in the socket the surgical soap will flow from the bottle. Elbow cups are provided on the ends of the sliding bar as a means for moving the bar to one side or the other with either an elbow or hand, thereby keeping the dispenser orifice clean and germ-free and providing a device wherein the hands of the user will be free of any contaminants.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a device of the class specified which is so constructed as to permit its attachment and detachment from a liquid soap or other container at will and comprises means to dispense the soap.

It is another object of this invention to provide a dispenser of the nature indicated, wherein said dispenser may be kept germ-free so as to enable its use in surgical operating rooms or the like.

It is still a further object of this invention, to provide a device of the class indicated, wherein the entire device is constructed from plastic material to avoid the corrosive effect of surgical soap on metal.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a device of the character indicated, wherein the device has a minimum of parts which can easily and quickly be made from moldable plastics and in which special containers are quickly and easily placed or removed when empty and in which the dispenser can be readily disassembled for cleaning and reassembled without the use of tools.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a device of the character indicated, wherein soap or liquid is dispensed with each stroke of a longitudinally sliding dispensing bar.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the device of the present invention illustrating the same in use.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1 and illustrates certain details of the longitudinal sliding dispensing bar cooperatingwith a socket which holds a soap or liquid container.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2 and further illustrating details of the present invention.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the sliding bar member of the instant invention.

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view of the dispensing device illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 5 and illustrating further details of the invention.

FIGURE 7 is a bottom plan view of a modified form of the invention comprising two discharge nozzles.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIGURE 7 and illustrating certain details of the modified form of the invention.

3,l4l,57 Patented July 21, 1964 ice Referring specifically to the drawing by reference numerals in which like parts are designated by like numerals, a suitable container It) for holding surgical soaps or any other thick liquid is shown in operative position with a dispensing unit generally designated by the numeral 12, for dispensing the surgical soap or liquid in the container. The dispensing unit 12 is attached to the supporting surface by means of a bracket 14 which is generally formed in T-shape and comprises suitable fastening elements 15. The outer end of the bracket 14 has a socket 16 formed integral therewith. The socket 16, as is the whole bracket, is formed of any suitable plastic material to resist the corrosive effect of the soap or liquid. The socket 16 has a threaded portion 18 formed therein, onto which the threaded neck 20 of the container is screwed. Adjacent the threaded portion '18 of the socket element 16 is a substantially rectangular bore 22 formed through the socket element 16. Slidably disposed in the bore 22 is a longitudinal bar 24 of generally rectangular cross-section.

Formed integral with the bar 24 at the ends thereof are a pair of cup-shaped members 26. The cup-shaped members 26 are so formed as to approximate the shape of ones arm adjacent the elbow and are attached to the bar by a tongue and groove connection 27 and a countersunk fastener 29. Due to this connection the bar may be removed for cleaning purposes or the like by simply removing the cup-shaped members 26 and sliding the bar out of bore 22. It is readily apparent from FIGURE 1 that the bar in use may be slid in rectangular bore 22 by means of an elbow placed in the cup-shaped member 26. Of course, the bar may also be slid by the use of ones hand.

The bar 24 also has formed therethrough, near its center portion, an elliptical aperture 28. The aperture 28 is adapted to communicate with a circular opening 3% formed through the socket element 16 and an aperture 31 formed in a closure 33 of container 10 so that soap or liquid may be dispensed from the container 10 through the opening 28 in the bar and out through the opening 30 of the socket. It should be noted that the elliptical shape of the opening 28 assures proper distribution of the soap or liquid as is readily apparent from FIGURE 2.

Also formed in the longitudinally sliding bar 24 are a pair of notches 32 and 34. Disposed in said notches 32 and 34 are a pair of stop members 36 and 38. The stop member 38 serves the function of aligning the opening 28 with the opening 30 in the socket member 16, that is, the distance between the center of the opening 28 and the end face of the stop member 30 approximates the distance between the center of the opening 30 and an end wall of the socket member 16 as is best seen in FIGURE 3. The stop member 36 limits the longitudinal movement of the bar in the opposite direction.

The operation of the dispensing unit illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 6 should now be readily apparent. To dispense soap or any thick liquid it is only necessary to slide the bar 24 to a position where the stop member 38 engages the side of the socket 16. This aligns openings 28 and 31 with an opening 34 in the socket socket member and soap will flow therethrough. To prevent the dispenser from operating the bar is slid in the opposite direction so that the openings 30 and 31 are closed by a solid portion of the bar 2 The cups 26 provide means wherein no germs from the dispensing unit come in contact with the hand, nor do the hands come into contact with the dispensing unit to place any germs thereon. All the parts are made of a suitable plastic material to resist corrosive action of the soap or liquid.

Turning now to the modified form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 8 it will be seen that a modified bar 24' and socket element 16' have been provided. The socket element 16' is similar to the socket element 16 except that two orifices or apertures 313 are formed therein. Similarly, the bar 24 has two circular apertures 28 formed therethrough. It is therefore possible from this arrangement, to have a dispensing of soap or liquid each time the bar is moved back and forth. The soap or liquid is initially dispensed into one of the apertures 28' and a measured portion accumulated therein due to the aperture overlying a solid portion 40 of socket element 16' and when the portion of the bar containing this aperture 28 is moved to overlie one of the openings 30, such as that in the right hand portion of the socket member 16', the soap or liquid which has accumulated in said aperture 28' is discharged through the right hand opening 3t). While this is taking place, the other aperture 2 8 is in communication with the soap or liquid dispenser and is accordingly filled with soap or liquid as before described. Therefore, on the return stroke of the bar 24 the second opening 28 overlies the opening 30' on the left hand portion of the socket element as viewed in FIGURE 8 and dispenses the soap or liquid through said opening accordingly. During this operation the liquid or soap is again filling the first opening 28' and the operation is then repeated.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A soap or liquid dispensing unit comprising a bracket adapted to be attached to a supporting surface, a socket formed integral with the bracket, an aperture formed internally of the socket adapted to removably receive the neck of a soap or liquid container, at least one opening being formed axially through said socket whereby soap or liquid may be dispensed from the container through said opening, said socket having a transversely extending opening formed therethrough and communicated with the interior thereof, an elongated bar slidably disposed through said transverse opening, said bar having at least one transversely extending aperture formed therethrough selectively registrable with said opening in said socket to permit liquid or soap to be intermittently dispensed therethrough upon reciprocation of said bar, said bar being of a length so as to have its opposite ends, simultaneously projecting considerably outwardly from opposite sides of said socket and adapted to at least substantially span the distance between a persons shoulders and including enlarged abutment members on its opposite end portions each, specially adapted to accommodate the elbow of a person whereby the bar may be reciprocated by forces exerted by the elbows.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said bar includes a pair of stops spaced longitudinally thereof and alternately engageable with said socket upon reciprocation of said bar, the first of said stops being positioned so as to limit movement of said bar in one direction so as to register the aperture in the bar with said opening of the socket and the second of said stops being positioned to limit movement of the bar in the opposite direction with said aperture shifted slightly past a position out of registry with said axial opening.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the socket element, bar and enlarged abutment members are formed of plastic material.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein said aperture in said bar is elliptical in cross-section.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein two axial and laterally spaced openings are formed through the socket element, and two apertures are formed transversely through said bar and so laterally spaced apart that only one of said apertures at a time may register with one of said two openings, the non-registering aperture being adapted to communicate with said threaded aperture and container whereby the non-registering aperture is filled with soap or liquid which will be dispensed when said aperture is reigstered with the other of said two openings.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein means are provided for accumulating a measured portion of liquid or soap in said non-registering aperture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 559,386 Jones May 5, 1896 1,754,259 Brown et al Apr. 15, 1930 2,018,033 Rickerd Oct. 22, 1935 2,319,233 Hoppe May 18, 1943 2,639,837 Stockdale May 26, 1953 

1. A SOAP OR LIQUID DISPENSING UNIT COMPRISING A BRACKET ADAPTED TO BE ATTACHED TO A SUPPORTING SURFACE, A SOCKET FORMED INTEGRAL WITH THE BRACKET, AN APERTURE FORMED INTERNALLY OF THE SOCKET ADAPTED TO REMOVABLY RECEIVE THE NECK OF A SOAP OR LIQUID CONTAINER, AT LEAST ONE OPENING BEING FORMED AXIALLY THROUGH SAID SOCKET WHEREBY SOAP OR LIQUID MAY BE DISPENSED FROM THE CONTAINER THROUGH SAID OPENING, SAID SOCKET HAVING A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING OPENING FORMED THERETHROUGH AND COMMUNICATED WITH THE INTERIOR THEREOF, AN ELONGATED BAR SLIDABLY DISPOSED THROUGH SAID TRANSVERSE OPENING, SAID BAR HAVING AT LEAST ONE TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING APERTURE FORMED THERETHROUGH SELECTIVELY REGISTRABLE WITH SAID OPENING IN SAID SOCKET TO PERMIT LIQUID OR SOAP TO BE INTERMITTENTLY DISPENSED THERETHROUGH UPON RECIPROCATION OF SAID BAR, SAID BAR BEING OF A LENGTH SO AS TO HAVE ITS OPPOSITE ENDS, SIMULTANEOUSLY PROJECTING CONSIDERABLY OUTWARDLY FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID SOCKET AND ADAPTED TO AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY SPAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN A PERSON''S SHOULDERS AND INCLUDING ENLARGED ABUTMENT MEMBERS ON ITS OPPOSITE END PORTIONS EACH SPECIALLY ADAPTED TO ACCOMMODATE THE ELBOW OF A PERSON WHEREBY THE BAR MAY BE RECIPROCATED BY FORCES EXERTED BY THE ELBOWS. 